1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to an enhanced television system, and relates more particularly to a method for effectively implementing a multi-room television system.
2. Description of the Background Art
Developing an effective method for implementing enhanced television systems is a significant consideration for contemporary television system designers and manufacturers. In conventional television systems, a display device may be utilized to view program information received from a program source. The conventional display device is typically positioned in a stationary location because of restrictions imposed by various physical connections that electrically couple the display device to all available input devices. Other considerations such as display size and display weight may also significantly restrict viewer mobility in traditional television systems.
Portable television displays may advantageously provide viewers with additional flexibility when choosing an appropriate viewing location. For example, in a home environment, a portable television may readily be relocated to view programming at various remote locations throughout the home. A user may thus flexibly view television programming, even while performing other tasks in locations that are remote from a stationary display device.
However, portable television systems typically possess certain detrimental operational characteristics that diminish their effectiveness for use in modern television systems. For example, in order to eliminate restrictive physical connections, portable televisions typically receive television signals that are propagated from a remote terrestrial television transmitter to an antenna that is integral with the portable television. Because of the size and positioning constraints associated with a portable antenna, such portable televisions typically exhibit relatively poor reception characteristics, and the subsequent display of the transmitted television signals is therefore often of inadequate quality.
Furthermore, a significant proliferation in the number of potential program sources (both live broadcasts and digitally recorded) may benefit a system user by providing an abundance of program material for selective viewing. For houses with televisions in more than one room of the house, each television either needs the necessary hardware to receive programming from all of the program sources, or requires a method to share the receiving hardware.
However, because of the substantially increased system complexity, television systems may require additional resources for effectively managing the control and interaction of various system components and functionalities. Therefore, for all the foregoing reasons, developing an effective method for implementing enhanced television systems remains a significant consideration for designers and manufacturers of contemporary television systems.